Theme and Variations

Hello folks, I haven't posted anything since september, but I'd like some opinions on my latest piece - it's a theme and variations for a classical orchestra. Constructive criticism would be great since this is important coursework!

Enjoy, and if you get bored, then go to the last bit (3:50 or so) cause it's the best bit in my opinion.

variations.sib

variations.mid

Oh, wow! Now that was a dramawtic opening! I'm very impressed! I got the impression that I was listening to the variation before I ever heard the theme in fact!

Ah, the variation in the woodwinds at :40 is so adorably cute I want to reach out and give it a hug. :D

Th eone that follows with pizzicato strings is quite nice as well. Overall, I think the feel of this theme is dramatic. It reminds me of game music, and the good kind! I'm having a good bit of fun as I listen to this! The build up around 1:45 is exciting! My spine tingles!

And it just disappears! Ack! I feel cheated! But the stuff that comes after around 2:00 is very good, so I guess I don't feel SO bad anymore. Love the way the strings sort of swirl around each other as if in combat, each dueling to see who can vary the theme the most!

The slow variation around 3:10 in the brass is almost funeral-like in as it plods along at a dirge. Ooooh, now the part that begins at 3:50, now that's quite nice! I can feel the tension returning as we build up to some final climax. The violin theme only reaffirms this. We are reaching some emotional and energetic climax. Great timpani roll at 4:30!

This buildup at the end, wow, you are really doing a great job with it. This is an excellent work. I hope that it can be played by a real orchestra sometime! The ending seems to want one more chord to send it off into silence. One last clash of the cymbals.

I think this is a very good composition, you've made some very creative variations. I especially like your use of the instruments.

Overall I thought the piece just stayed in the dramatic mood for way too long, that's the only reason I got bored after a while. You could maybe have made a variation that modulated to a major key.

Now for the variations, I thought most of them were very good, especially the one with the solo violin and cello. That one really impressed me. The only variation I didn't like was the first one... the pizzicatos really annoyed me.

I really enjoyed your piece. I think that it is great!

I'm new here and I don't have any constructive feedback for you, but I still wanted to tell you I enjoyed it.

Sorta reminded me of this piece by shostakovich to the film called Gadfly. I kept on feeling like it would break into so la so fa mi re dooooooooo

Yes the Violin and Cello duet was amazing! and how it grew from that(most magnificently), but I feel it goes too quickly to the other variation.

But i never got bored and I was always interested in what you had to offer.

Wow, I am really impressed, especially from pages 1-6. I thought it was really good and the buildup from page 5 to page 6 was superb :blush:. My teacher has once suggested to my class that perhaps you could "vary" the piece more by changing tempo, key signature (which you have done), and time signature. From page 6 onwards I wish the mood varied a bit more because I didn't get the feeling of a build-up or whatsoever. I hoped this helped =D

:thumbsup:!!! That was amazing! It would be so powerful to hear it played live. Brilliant stuff.

Very suspenseful and full of great surprises. Despite the different variations, I do like how there is a general and close-knit sense of continuity between sections. Very well done. I agree that the section ~3:50 was the best part! Great suspense!